Garment finisher



2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed June 14, 1965 FIGI FIGZ

INVENTOR GEORGE SCHLEMON ATTORNEYS Nov. 22, 1966 e. SCHLEMON GARMENT FINISHER 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed June 14, 1965 INVENTOR GEORGE SCHLEMON ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,286,889 GARMENT FINISHER George Schlemon, 3060 Pharr Court NW., Atlanta, Ga. Filed June 14, 1965, Ser. No. 463,804 4 Claims. (Cl. 223-70) This-invention relates to a method and apparatus for finishing garments, and is more particularly concerned with a method and apparatus for blowing steam, or a mixture of steam and air, or air through a garment so as to remove wrinkles therefrom and give the garment a fresh, new appearance.

In the past, it has been the custom to steam iron garments that have been laundered or cleaned with a dry cleaning fluid so that, after the garments are cleaned, the wrinkles are removed therefrom. At first this was accomplished with the commonly known hot, flat iron by the operator sprinkling or spraying the garment with water immediately before applying the hot iron to the garment. Later, the steam iron was used wherein steam was applied to the garment through the iron as the iron was applied to the garment. Subsequently, the practice of draping garments over a form shaped like a human and blowing steam and air through the form and the garment came into practice. The forms consisted of an elongated bag with an opening for the steam to enter so that the bag would expand to fit the garment. It was found, however, that the bag tended to stretch the garment near its lower portion since that portion of the bag not covered by the garment would expand to a size larger than the garment so that more stretching force was applied to the lower portion of the garment than the remaining portions thereof. Furthermore, it was found that the steam introduced to the interior portion of the bag, which was of a uniform thickness, tended to exhaust itself from that portion of the bag which was not covered by the garment.

Accordingly, this invention comprises a method and apparatus for finishing garments by placing a garment over a closed bag, introducing air and/ or steam into the interior portion of the bag, expanding the bag to fit the garment without overexpanding the lower portion of the bag, and passing the steam inside the bag primarily through the garment.

Thus, it is an object of this invention to provide a method of finishing garments by passing steam and/or air through the garment with a minimum wastage of the steam and/ or air.

Another object of this invention is to provide a method of finishing a garment by placing a garment over an expansible bag, expanding the bag to fit the garment without overexpanding the .bag, and passing steam and/ or air from the bag through the garment.

Another object of this invention is to provide a garment finishing bag having a body portion and an overlap portion whereby the overlap portion can be adjusted vertically of the body portion.

Another object of this invention is to provide an apparatus for finishing garments whereby steam and/ or air is passed through the garment without overstretching the garment and where a minimum of steam and/or air is wasted.

Other objects, features and advantages of the instant invention will be apparent upon reading of the enclosed specification, taken in conjunction with the enclosed drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a front elevational view of a garment finishing bag with its overlap portion stretched out below its body portion.

FIG. 2 is a front elevational view of a typical frame with which the garment finishing bag can be used, showing the garment finishing bag in dotted lines when properly positioned over the frame.

FIG. 3 is a side elevational view of the frame of FIG. 2, showing the garment finishing bag in dotted lines.

FIG. 4 is a side elevational view of the inflated garment finishing bag as it would be mounted on a frame of the type shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, showing the overlap portion of the bag fully extended up over its body portion.

FIG. 5 is a front elevational view of the inflated gar ment finishing bag, similar to FIG. 4, but showing the overlap portion positioned near the bottom of the body portion. FIG. 6 is a back elevational view of an inflated garment finishing bag with a short garment positioned thereon, with the overlap portion of the bag in its proper position and with portions of the bag broken away.

FIG. 7 is a back elevational view of an inflated garment finishing bag similar to FIG. 6, but with a long garment positioned thereon.

FIG. 8 is a back elevational view of an inflated garment finishing bag without the overlap portion, showing how the absence of the overlap portion improperly treats a short garment.

FIG. 9 is a back elevational view of an inflated garment finishing bag, similar to FIG. 8, but showing a long garment positioned thereon. 7

Referring now more particularly to the drawings, the garment finishing bag 10 is formed from a smooth material, such as nylon and comprises a body portion 12 and an overlap portion 14. The body portion 12 and the overlap portion 14 are divided by a header or casing 15 which houses a resilient band, such as an elastic band or coil spring.

At its end 16 remote from the overlap portion 14, the body portion 12 has a neck opening 18 and arm openings 19 and 20, somewhat similar to the openings in a garment to which a collar and sleeves might be attached. The arm openings 19 and 20 have zippers 21 and 22, respectively, so that these openings can be closed. The body portion 12 and the overlap portion 14 ofthe garment finishing bag 10 are of a somewhat rounded configuration, similar to the trunk of a human body, but substantially larger in size than the-average human body. The dimensions of the overlap portion in its width and depth are identical to the body portion 12, however the length of the overlap portion 14 is about one-third of the length of the body portion 12. The overlap portion 14' has a header or casing 25 at its end 26 remote from the body portion 12, and the header or casing 25 contains a resilient band, such as an elastic band or coil spring.

As is best shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the bag 10 is constructed to fit over a frame so as to be partially supported thereby. The frame 30 comprises a platform portion adapted to be attached permanently to the floor, and a pivotal or rotatable platform 32 attached to the platform 31. A vertical bar 34 extends upwardly from the pivotal platform 32 and supports a collar portion 35. The vertical bar 34 has a transverse member 36 attached thereto at its mid-point, and upwardly extending shoulder support bars 38 are attached to the transverse member 36. The shoulder support bars 38 support the shoulders 39 which form an extension of the collar 35. Adjusting bars 40 are attached to the shoulder support bars 38 at a point between the transverse member 36 and the shoulders 39, so that upward movement of the adjusting bars 40 causes the shoulder support bars 38 to pivot about the transverse member 36 to cause the shoulders 39 to be retracted into the collar 35. The opening 42 of the collar 35 houses an adjusting mechanism (not shown) that controls the adjusting bars'4li. A breastplate or backing strip 44 extends between the collar 35 andthe pivotal platform 32.

or casing 25 gathering in that area of the body portion 12 with which it comes into contact.

As is best shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the header or casing 25 and its enclosed elastic band can be moved up and down the body portion 12 of the garment finishing bag so that the overlap portion 14 can overlap a very small area of the body portion 12, as shown in FIG. 5, or can overlap as much as two-thirds of the body portion, as shown in FIG. 4. The header or casing 25 is easily moved over the smooth material.

Operation With the garment finishing bag positioned over the frame, as described above, a garment is placed in position over the frame and buttoned or zipped closed, as if being worn. The operator of the garment finisher then moves the header or casing 25 and its enclosed elastic member to a pointon the body portion 12 of the bag where it is immediately below the garment, approximately one to two inches below the garment. The operator then actuates the air and/ or steam cycle whereupon the bag is filled with air or steam so that the portion of the bag covered by the garment is inflated to the dimensions defined by the garment and air and steam are passed therethrough.

While the selection of air and steam is optional with the 3 operator, the usual procedure is to inflate the bag with wet steam so that the fibers of the garment are wetted so that the material becomes soft and tends to lose its wrinkles, whereupon dry air follows the steam so that the garment is dried before being removed from the garment finishing bag. Of course, the fact that the bag is inflated and is urged against the garment aids in removing the wrinkles from the garment and tends to exert -a slight stretching force to the garment, which hasbeen found to be a desirable substitute for the hot flat iron formerly used in pressing garments.

The fact that the overlap portion 14 of the bag is positioned immediately below the garment places a double thickness of the bag over its exposed portion so that the steam introduced thereto must travel through a double layer of the bag to be exhausted therethrough. This, of course, helps to prevent the steam from traveling through the exposed portion of the bag and causes it to be channelled to that portion covered by the garment.

When the predetermined air and steam cycle is completed the bag is deflated so that the garment hangs limp over the frame, whereupon the operator unbuttons or unzips the garment and removes it from the garment finisher.

As, seen in FIGS. 6 through 9, the placement of the header or casing 25 and its enclosed elastic band is important as to how the bag is expanded in the vicinity of the garment. For instance, in FIG. 8, which shows a garment finishing bag without an overlap portion, inflation of the bag over which a short garment is' placed would caused the bag to the inflated to its fullest extent in that portion not covered by the garment and inflated to the dimension of the garment in that portion covered by the garment. At the point where the garment terminates on the garment finishing bag it can be seen that the uncovered portion of the bag immediately below the garment would ordinarily exert an outward-expanding force which would be added to that force immediately. inside the garment. This additional force tends to spread or stretch the garment to a further extent than spread or stretched in its other portions so that the lower portion of the garment is overstretchst and pulled out of shape. Also, theshape 4. that the bag would take without its overlap-portion would cause the garment thereon to tend to ride up the bag so that the bag would actually tend to push the garment off the top thereof. This, of course, tends to create folds in the garment which are undesirable.

As applied to longer garments, as shown in FIG. 9, the

same problems are prevalent in a garment finisherbag without an overlap portion since the bottom or lower portion of a dress, or similar article of clothing, would tend to be blossomed out by the bag, similar to the shorter garment shown in FIG. 8.

Thus, the overlap portion 14 has the function of gathering the body portion 12 of the bag immediately below the garment so as to prevent the bag from stretching the garment and, also, creating a double thickness of the bag material in the area below the garment so that the steam and air will not easily pass therethrough, but.will be directed toward the garment.

The garment finisher bag is manufactured of a smooth material, such as a high grade of nylon, so that the header or casing 25 and its enclosed elastic element, can easily be slid up'and down the body portion 12 with little effort on behalf of the operator. Of course, the material from which the bag is manufactured must be chosen so that air and steam will pass in the proper amount therethr'ough so that the bag is not too porous to pass too much steam or. too tightly woven to pass too little steam. Also, the body portion of the bag can be made of a material that readily passes air and steam while the overlap portion can bemade of a material that passes only a small amount of air and steam. This arrangement would further tend to,

prevent steam and air from being lost in the process of finishing garments.

The arm openings 19 and 20 at the upper, portion of the body portion 12 of the garment finishing bag are normally left open for garments having long sleeves so that some of the steam introducedinto the bag will pass through the arm openings and travel down through the sleeves of the garment tending to moisten the sleeves and the air subsequently traveling therethrough tends to dry the sleeves. The operator can, at his option, insert expansible stays in the sleeves in order to shape them properly. When a garment having no sleeves or very short sleeve is placed over the garment finisher, the arm holes 19 and 20 can be closed so that the steam and air introduced into the bag will not escape through the arm openings andbe 1 wasted.

In the event that a front opening garment having no buttons or zipper thereon is to be treated by the garment finisher, a plate 45 which is secured to the front of; the pivotal platform 32 in alignment with the breastplate 44, is

positioned against the front opening of the garment to clamp the garment between the plates 45 and 44.v This clamping action will hold the garment closed and allow air and steam to be introduced to the bag without opening the garment. A similar plate 46 is attached to the rear portion of the pivotal plate 32 whereby the vent openings of a mans coat, or the like, can be clampedbetween the plate 46 and the interior portion of the frame 30. This allows the header or casing 25 to be pulled down to a point immediately below a mans coat, or the like, the plate 46 clamped over the vent'opening of the coat, and the bag draped over a portion of said bag and said bag is inflated with a finishing fluid so as to assume the contour of the garment, said bag comprising an elongated body portion and an overlap portion, said overlap portion overlying the lower exterior region of the body portion so as to provide the bag with a double thickness in said lower region, and wherein the overlap portion may be adjusted longitudinally of the body portion to vary the size of the region of double thickness of the bag in accordance with the particular garment being finished.

2. A garment finishing bag according to claim 1 Wherein there is a resilient circumferential band secured to the free end of the overlap portion and concentrically surrounding the body portion, said band being freely movable with the overlap portion longitudinally of the body portion whereby the degree of inflation may be controlled in accordance with the garment being finished.

3. A garment finishing bag according to claim 1 wherein the bag is of a porous nylon fabric.

4. A garment finishing bag according to claim 1 wherein the body portion is of a substantially porous fabric and the overlap portion is of a slightly porous fabric.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,319,434 5/ 1943 Pungor 223-67 2,459,962 1/ 1949 Richa et a1 22367 2,513,427 7/1950 Richa et a1. 22367 2,986,312 5/1961 Petzold et al 22370 2,990,983 7/1961 Jackson 22367 FOREIGN PATENTS 1,120,500 8/1957 France.

(1st addition 66,703)

JORDAN FRANKLIN, Primary Examiner. G. V. LARKIN, Assistant Examiner. 

1. A GARMENT FINISHING BAG OF THE TYPE UTILIZED TO REMOVE WRINKLES FROM GARMENTS WHEREIN A GARMENT IS DRAPED OVER A PORTION OF SAID BAG AND SAID BAG IS INFLATED WITH A FINISHING FLUID SO AS TO ASSUME THE CONTOUR OF THE GARMENT, SAID BAG COMPRISING AN ELONGATED BODY PORTION AND AN OVERLAP PORTION, SAID OVERLAP PORTION OVERLYING THE LOWER EXTERIOR REGION OF THE BODY PORTION SO AS TO PROVIDE THE BAG WITH A DOUBLE THICKNESS IN SAID LOWER REGION, AND WHEREN THE OVERLAP PORTION MAY BE ADJUSTED LONGITUDINALLY OF THE BODY PORTION TO VARY THE SIZE OF THE REGION OF DOUBLE THICKNESS OF THE BAG IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE PARTICULAR GARMENT BEING FINISHED. 